Pretty much the best day ever

If you were to ask me what my idea of a perfect Ferris Bueller day off was, it would probably involve friends, food, the spa and shopping. You should also know that I am grateful for any kind of day off. Last week my dreams came true when my friend Heidi and I took a half day off from work to do exactly such wonderous things! It wasn’t playing hooky but it sure felt like it.

First up – shopping – Heidi and I headed up to the old town neighborhood of Chicago and wandered around window shopping until we stumbled upon Bravco. !Oh susannah! We hit the motherload. Bravco is a Chicago institution that has been run by the same family for over 40 years. Bravco sells every kind of hair and beauty product you can imagine from obscure to well known. For you Bumble and Bumble and Essie fans – I have never seen a larger assemblage of these products anywhere. BUT my favorite discovery was Bravco’s wall of samples at the back of the store. I picked up deluxe samples of AHAVA, Klorane, Avene and Herbacine. It took a lot of will power to stop just there! If you like to try product samples before buying the large size or need luxury travel sizes, this is your store. Please be warned that Bravco does not take credit cards, so bring your cash or checkbook. http://www.bravcobeauty.com/

Next up – facials. Heidi and I then moved on to have facials at the Spa on Oak. While this is not a sit around in your bathrobe drinking tea sort of spa, the Spa on Oak was great. This spa specializes in facials and they know what they are doing. In addition to your facial,they have a full menu board of add on’s ranging from $10-$20. I chose to add microdermabrasion to my facial for $20. As this was my first time having my face sandblasted, I was super nervous! For the most part it felt like a cat was licking my face really hard. My skin was a little sensitive afterwards but nothing terrible. The next day I noticed a HUGE difference in how my skin looked and felt. I need to do this more often! http://www.thespaonoak.com/

And for the finale – High Tea at the Drake. Shopping and going to the spa are hard work ! So afterwards Heidi and I had High Tea at the Drake Hotel across the street. If you live in Chicago, high tea at the Drake is a wonderful tradition. We discussed makeup foreign policy while munching on scones with jam and clotted cream, pastries, and little sandwiches.

Photo courtesy of Yelp

The Drake Hotel
140 East Walton Place
Chicago, IL 60611

It was a great day off and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you live in Chicago these places are worth checking out and they are only within a couple blocks of one another.